The extensive transfer and posting of officials by interim CBI chief M Nageswar Rao is aimed to break the caucus of well entrenched officers posted in the agency headquarters for over three years and restore the professional credibility.
Nineteen out of the 20 transfers executed on Monday comprise cadre officials. The lone officer Prem Gautam is an IPS officer who is the SP of the Economic Offences Wing and has been given additional charge of Deputy Director (Administration/Personnel) after relieving the current incumbent Anish Prasad, who had allegedly put former Special Director Rakesh Asthana’s number on surveillance without due procedure, sources said.
More transfers are in the offing in the coming days at various levels in the agency, the sources said.
In a major reshuffle, Rao transferred around 20 officers on Monday, including some officers handling crucial cases like the 2G scam. The case of SP Vivek Priyadarshi who was probing the 2G case and was posted in the headquarter for over a decade has now been transferred to Chandigarh.
Likewise, SP SK Nair posted as SP in BSFC, Mumbai who was probing the Mehul Choksi/Nirav Modi case relating to PNB scam has been transferred to Anti-Corruption Bureau in Mumbai. SP OF BSFC, P Balachandran has also been transferred as SP Cochin.
SP Mohit Gupta who was entrusted by then CBI chief Alok Verma to probe the case against his deputy Rakesh Asthana has been brought to the BSFC, Delhi.
“The exercise was aimed to cleanse and purge the system. The purpose was also to fill the vacancies in branches which are handling crucial cases and to restore checks and balances and strengthen vigilance mechanism in the agency,” an official in the know of developments said.
Rao after taking over as the interim chief of the agency for the second time on January 11 had undone the decisions taken by Verma, who was reinstated by the Supreme Court on January 8.
The first cycle of transfers was done on October 24, last year, a day after Rao was made acting director of the agency for the first time.
He was appointed to the post after the government divested Verma and Asthana of their powers following a bitter feud between the two top CBI officers.
Verma was removed by the the high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising of Justice A K Sikri and leader of Congress Mallikarjuna Kharge, two days after his reinstatement.
Government again gave the charge to Rao in an interim capacity.